Evaluating drought resistance in germplasm of meadow fescue

Summary The drought resistance of 25 accessions of meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.) from seven countries was investigated in four experiments: two in the glasshouse using pot-grown plants from which water was withheld for various periods, and two in controlled environments under osmotic stress.There were significant differences between populations (broad-sense heritabilities or repeatabilities) in all four experiments. In the glasshouse there was a large residual effect of yield potential on production during and after slight-to-moderate drought, and different susceptibilities appeared only after very severe drought. The most consistently high-yielding accessions were from the Bergamo alps in Italy. Recovery after drought was strongly correlated with tiller survival. Continued production under moderate drought was considered important in wetter climates, whereas survival and recovery under severe drought was often associated with low production or flowering in the seeding year, and more typical of summer-drought climates.Leaf growth rates of plants subjected to zero or moderate osmotic stress were correlated with yields of irrigated or moderately-stressed plants in the glasshouse, although there was no differential susceptibility to mild stress. Under severe osmotic stress there were very large differences in survival between populations, but there was no relationship with survival under glasshouse conditions.The inconsistency of population rankings across experiments shows that no one technique gives a full evaluation of drought resistance, and emphasizes the complex nature of the phenomenon. It was possible, however, to identify (a) regions meriting further collections, and (b) ecotypes that had desirable responses in all experiments and could contribute to variety improvement.     

Penny ice cap cores, baffin island, canada, and the wisconsinan foxe dome connection: two states of hudson bay ice cover

Ice cores from Penny Ice Cap, Baffin Island, Canada, provide continuous Holocene records of oxygen isotopic composition (delta18O, proxy for temperature) and atmospheric impurities. A time scale was established with the use of altered seasonal variations, some volcanic horizons, and the age for the end of the Wisconsin ice age determined from the GRIP and GISP2 ice cores. There is pre-Holocene ice near the bed. The change in delta18O since the last glacial maximum (LGM) is at least 12.5 per mil, compared with an expected value of 7 per mil, suggesting that LGM ice originated at the much higher elevations of the then existing Foxe Dome and Foxe Ridge of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. The LGM delta18O values suggest thick ice frozen to the bed of Hudson Bay.     

The structure of the upper atmosphere of mars: In situ accelerometer measurements from mars global surveyor

The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) z-axis accelerometer has obtained over 200 vertical structures of thermospheric density, temperature, and pressure, ranging from 110 to 170 kilometers, compared to only three previous such vertical structures. In November 1997, a regional dust storm in the Southern Hemisphere triggered an unexpectedly large thermospheric response at mid-northern latitudes, increasing the altitude of thermospheric pressure surfaces there by as much as 8 kilometers and indicating a strong global thermospheric response to a regional dust storm. Throughout the MGS mission, thermospheric density bulges have been detected on opposite sides of the planet near 90 degreesE and 90 degreesW, in the vicinity of maximum terrain heights. This wave 2 pattern may be caused by topographically-forced planetary waves propagating up from the lower atmosphere.     

Effects of exogenous progesterone and estrone on conceptus development in swine

Administration of progesterone (P4, .55 mg/kg) and estrone (E1, .275 micrograms/kg) during discrete periods in early gestation was found to have beneficial effects on conceptus development in gilts. Three trials were conducted, with each trial examining two hormone treatment groups and one control group. In all trials, P4-E1 supplementation for either one or both of the time periods examined resulted in larger (P less than .05) placentas at d 50 of gestation. Administration of exogenous P4-E1 from either d 20 to 30 (trial 1) or d 25 to 30 (trial 3) of gestation resulted in the greatest augmentation in placental development. In all three trials, exogenous P4-E1 elicited beneficial effects on areolae formation and development. In all nine groups examined (both P4-E1-treated and controls), a positive uterine artery minus uterine vein difference in progesterone concentration was found. This suggests that the conceptus is metabolizing progesterone to metabolites that may have a local effect within the pregnant uterus. It is suggested that augmentation of placental growth, as demonstrated in this study, may reduce secondary fetal death losses in latter gestation (i.e., post-d 70) due to placental insufficiency.     

Alternative activation of ruminant macrophages by Fasciola hepatica

The helminth parasite, Fasciola hepatica, has a worldwide distribution and infects a wide variety of mammalian hosts, including ruminants and man. In response to infection, these hosts mount a type 2 helper (Th2) response that is highly polarized and results in the downregulation of type 1 helper (Th1) mechanisms. In a murine macrophage model F. hepatica induces alternative activation of macrophages. These macrophages differ from classically activated cells in that they preferentially use arginase instead of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) for metabolism of nitrogen. In this study we sought to characterize macrophage phenotype following stimulation of the ovine cell line MOCL7 with recombinant F. hepatica enzymes and crude parasite extracts. An in vitro model using the MOCL7 cell line was established and arginase levels in cells were used to determine the activation status of cells. Stimulation of this cell-line in vitro with F. hepatica products induces alternative activation. We have also found a chitinase-like protein in supernatants which is capable of differentiating alternatively activated from classically activated macrophages.     

Pre-exposure of cattle to drug-abbreviated Fasciola hepatica infections: the effect upon subsequent challenge infection and the early immune response

In this study we examined whether juvenile liver flukes are capable of stimulating protective immune responses in cattle. Four experimental groups of cattle were studied as follows: group A, a positive control, received a primary infection on day 0 and a secondary infection 28 days later; group B also received two infections but the primary infection was terminated by drug treatment on day 5; group C, received infections on days 0, 5 and 10 which were terminated by drug treatments on days 1, 6 and 11 and then a secondary infection on day 28; group D received an infection only on day 28. Juvenile flukes appear to induce protective responses because: (a) group B animals had significantly lower levels of gamma-GT (P<0.05) than group D; (b) both groups B and C exhibited lower parenchymal phase GLDH levels (P=0.006 and 0.041, respectively); and (c) both groups B and C had lower secondary phase eosinophilia (P=0.002 and 0.02, respectively) than those in group D. Sera taken from groups A-C contained antibodies reacting to a variety of proteins in adult fluke somatic antigen and excretory-secretory preparations, particularly to proteins of 52-60, 68-72 and 82-96 kDa. After secondary challenge the antibody responses of group A to these proteins declined while reactivity to proteins of 28-30 kDa increased. Antibody responses to the 28-30 kDa proteins were not detected in groups B-D until 3 weeks later than those observed in group A. Antibody responses to Fasciola hepatica cathepsin L proteases, which are known to induce protection, were monophasic, of the IgG1 isotype only and were not observed prior to secondary challenge in any of the four groups. In contrast, the response to another protective antigen fraction, a high molecular sized haem protein, was of a mixed IgG1/IgG2 nature and was detected within 14 days of primary infection. However, no significant difference in antibody titres to either protein preparation was observed after the secondary infection when groups B and C were compared to group D.     

Relationships Between Fertility and Some Parameters in Male Broiler Breeders (Body and Testicular Weight,Histology and Immunohistochemistry of Testes,Spermatogenesis and Hormonal Levels)

In a farm of grandparent broiler breeder chickens, we followed the development of 350 roosters from 6 to 55 weeks of age. Data collected and evaluated from these males included body weight, testicular weight, histologic and immunohistochemistry studies of the testes, hormone levels (testosterone, estradiol and corticosterone) and sperm production. The objective was to understand the factors that affect or influence hatch loss that is commonly observed after 45 weeks of age in breeder flocksare often correlated to broiler breeder male chickens. The results of this study showed that in conjunction with the weight of the rooster, the testicle weight increases quickly after the rooster receives light stimulation. At an older age, the study showed that there is a process of testicular shrinkage, and the same effect is seen in sperm production and testosterone levels in broiler breeder roosters. From the histology evaluation, we defined 5 histologic phases that illustrate the evolution of the testicular tissue: perinatal, infantile, puberty, adult and senile. We observed that the adult males with a body weight <3800 g were infertile or had subfertile levels and also had low levels of testosterone and high levels of corticosterone. In contrast, the heaviest males showed correct testicular vitality, high levels of testosterone and low levels of corticosterone. However, the roosters that had acquired this high body weight were also at risk of having less complete copulations because of their physical mass. The loss of uniformity of the males and the appearance of hierarchies within the flock accompany a decline in the percentages of hatches as a consequence of the poor confirmation of the males for copulation or the restriction to the access to the females. Results of this study show that the decrease in fertility from 45 weeks of age has been associated with a decline in testicular weight, sperm production and the testosterone levels in animals with a sub‐par weight. Likewise, decreasing hatch in older flocks may also result from a loss of conformation, and the lack of complete copulations is possible because of animals that are grossly overweight.